Criminals Are Using Mystery Device to Break Into Seattle Cars and Police Have No Idea What It Is – or How to Stop It

Thieves no longer have to break into some cars. Technology is making that job much easier.

Police are trying to find out just what it is thieves are using to seamlessly open the doors of someone else's locked car, without even sounding the alarm. One recent example was captured on surveillance video and later aired by KCPQ-TV. The footage shows a man wearing a backpack approaching Tom Dahl's truck in a driveway near Seattle.

The man tries to open the driver side door normally but finds that it's locked. So he takes off his backpack and seconds later, he's gained access to the inside. The lights came on, and the vehicle is disarmed.

Image source: KCPQ-TV

Whatever the method thieves are now using, they still aren't able to start the vehicle. The purpose of getting in, it appears, is to rummage for any valuables that might be inside. But as Dahl told KCPQ-TV, he was smart enough not to pack anything of much value inside his own vehicle.

But Dahl's isn't the only case where thieves have used this mystery technology to get into cars. A similar thing happened to Lars Carlson in January. Whoever the suspect was in this case, he or she also appeared to be carrying a backpack.

The mystery technique has caught the attention of the Seattle Police Department as well, although they admittedly don't know what it is either.

“As technology adapts, criminals adapt. We have to be one step ahead of the criminals and to figure it out," police Capt. Eric Sano told KCPQ.

Carlson did, however, speculate as to how the technology might work.

“It’s running through codes automatically or it’s a button they’re pushing or something is happening. But whatever it does, it seems to trick the car into thinking he’s got the legitimate keys," he said.

Dahl said automakers need to do more to ensure that cars are secure. But until that happens, he said he plans to share the surveillance video with his neighbors.

“I hope other people pay attention, make sure things are secure and locked, and don’t keep things in your car that are of any value," Dahl said.

Honda did not immediately respond to TheBlaze when asked whether it knows what thieves might be using to gain entrance. Dahl's vehicle, as shown in the video, is a Honda.

(H/T: KCPQ-TV)

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